Dinner got easier with this tangy and mildly sweet chicken thighs. Serve with rice, pasta or noodles. In less than 45 minutes, you'll have a delicious homemade dinner that everyone will rave about.
This is a very easy chicken thighs recipe which is also very quick and tasty. tamarind leaves the chicken tangy and delicious while sugar and vinegar helps tenderize the thighs - as if they are not tender already. I like using thighs in this recipe instead of breast as it is more flavorful and kid friendly.
I love tamarind drink, it is sweet, tangy and so delicious and it reminds me so much of the holy month of Ramadan. This drink is also very common in Egypt during the summer days, when it is super hot and humid, this drink comes to cool you down and hydrate your poor summer body.
This was my only experience with tamarind, until one day, one of my friends here made grape leaves mahshi and she used a clever trick of drizzling it with tamarind while cooking instead of lime juice and it tasted so so good, it was little darker than the usual one made with juist lime juice but it was much tastier.
Since then, I have been thinking of using tamarind in marinating chicken and beef but did not quite go for it. Until I just managed to figure out a nice combination of ingredients that really worked very well with chicken thighs. Feel free to use chicken breast instead but really, I believe chicken thighs are much better in this recipe.
We loved this dish and I am going to make it over and over again, not just because me and the hubby licked almost every drop of sauce but also because my youngest - who barely eats chicken- got crazy about this recipe and kept asking for more!!
Here is a video showing you how to prepare this simple tamarind chicken dish. I hope you'll like it... Enjoy!!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs- cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup tamarind juice 2 teaspoon tamarind paste + water
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup of water
Instructions
- Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat. then pour in the olive oil.
- Add the chicken pieces and cook for about 10- 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a bowl combine garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, tamarind, vinegar and ketchup , mix everything well together.
- When all the water has evaporated from the chicken and it is nice and a little brown , pour the sauce into the pan. Stir it around to cover all the chicken pieces.
- When it boils, reduce the heat, and add the cornstarch dissolved in water, cover and let it cook for almost 20 minutes until done.
- Garnish with some sesame seeds and serve hot with rice/pasta or noodles
- Enjoy.
Notes
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Fantastic flavor
I didn´t use the juice but it was really delicious, all the same!
Needed some ginger, scallions and carrots or peppers to brighten the recipe. Great sauce and starting point.
haven't tried it yet but looks great!
I want to make this so bad! But the only tamarind type thing I found was tamarind concentrate. Is that the same thing as paste or juice?
Olivia, usually they are the same. It is thick and sticky almost has the same consistency as honey. I hope this helps.